Doughty, determined, passionate and feisty, Gautam Gambhir has played a pivotal (and sometimes overshadowed) role in some of India’s greatest victories. We now know him as a Member of Parliament of the Bharatiya Janata Party, but back in the day Gambhir was a force to reckon with on the cricket field. His intense competitive spirit and never-say-die attitude meant that he was always a thorn in the side of the opposition and his tussles with Australian and Pakistani players both on and sometimes off the field prove this. So, let’s go back in memory lane and revisit three of Gambhir’s best innings during his playing career.
First on the list is the 75 versus Pakistan, an opponent he loved playing against, in the 2007 T20 World Cup Final in South Africa. This inning in a high-pressure encounter set the platform for India to put 157 on the scoreboard, a fighting and competitive total. He took the attack to the opposition and played the anchor role in an inning when only one other batsman (a young Rohit Sharma) scored above 30 runs. He stood strong as the Pakistani bowlers regularly chipped away with wickets. In the second inning, Irfan Pathan who was staging a comeback in the Indian team, took 3 for 16 from 4 overs and got the Man of the Match Award. However, Gambhir’s performance that day was the catalyst for the resurgence of the Indian team after a torrid two years under Greg Chappell.
In the 2011 World Cup final at the Wankhede, Gambhir, batting at No. 3, walked out in the first over itself in a pressure cooker-like situation after his great friend Virender Sehwag got out LBW to Lasith Malinga. His 97 off 122 balls was measured with equal parts restraint and aggression as he, along with Virat Kohli and later M.S. Dhoni steered India to calm waters after facing turbulence in the initial stages of the run chase. While Dhoni hit the winning runs and got the Man of the Match Award, true fans of the game will always remember his contribution in India’s triumph.
In 2009 Gambhir played a spectacular rearguard effort versus New Zealand in the second Test at Napier. Following on and staring defeat in the face, Gambhir curbed his natural attacking instincts and batted for nearly 11 hours for his 137 wherein he faced 436 deliveries. Fiercely patriotic, Gambhir has stated that if he had not been a cricketer, he would have surely joined the Army. Though retired, Gambhir still shows streaks of aggression especially when people like Shahid Afridi decide to comment on India and our internal affairs. Gambhir is an amazing role model and we all should imbibe his qualities of passion, determination and assertiveness in our daily lives. Here’s wishing him a very happy 39th birthday